Ekocity layout August-1

ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Our focus is to tap into the
opportunities the Lekki Free Trade
Zone will provide - Alex Nwajei
Lagos to begin reconstruction
of Oshodi/International Airport
Road next month
TRANSPORT
Alexander Nwajei, the Managing Director of Freeway Auto Services Limited owners of Michelin Tyre service centre
in the Lekki axis of Lagos is a professional that believes in giving the best in service delivery. The organization
recently moved to Abijo town towards the Lagos Export Processing zone as Mr. Nwajei hopes to tap into the potential
of the Free Trade Zone as he espoused in this interview with Abiodun Fawumi. Enjoy it.
What influenced your choice of business?
Upon graduation from the university, I got
employed in the marketing department of
Michelin, an international tyre company.
I worked diligently with the organization
for twelve good years before I voluntarily
retired in 2001. Since my resignation, I’ve
been a major distributor and service centre
of Michelin. I‘ve heard people ask if Michelin
is still in Nigeria; yes, Michelin is still very
much in Nigeria, what is not in Nigeria is the
manufacturing arm of the company. But the
marketing arm is still very much in Nigeria as
the company is still importing its products
into Nigeria. The structure of the marketing
department of the company is still at Ijora
area of Lagos and I’m one of their major distributors
in Lagos till date.
What has been the biggest challenge of
running the business?
The most challenging experience is the dollar
fluctuation that has affected all business
enterprise in the last one year but now it’s
easing off gradually. But, what the advisers
of the government have failed to recognise
is the fact that tyre shouldn’t have been categorized
as a luxury item; that is the reason
why it is so costly. Agreed that some vehicles
are luxury rides for some people, but
for the farmer in the village, the vehicle that
conveys agricultural produce is not luxury to
them. I enjoin the government to stop classifying
tyres as luxury item as it will go a long
way in reducing the cost of transportation
to a reasonable extent.
Do you deal on other products?
I have a relationship with Michelin as they
are our major supporter in terms of technical
support. Because of that, I owe allegiance
to them and having worked with
them for twelve years, any background
I have in terms of tyre is due to them and
because of that I have some form of loyalty
coupled with the fact that their products are
of very high quality. I store 60% of Michelin
products and 40% of other products.
We’ve followed your success over the
years, why did you decide to leave the city
centre and come this far? The reason is very
simple as I want to tap into the development
goals of Lagos state. I see Lagos as a
state that encourages entrepreneurship
and provides the conducive environment
for expansion and the rest. Since Lagos has
bought into the free trade zone, Freeway
Auto Services Limited want to also tap into
the opportunities the zone will offer. We realized
that this zone will develop overtime
and we want to be the preferred choice
when the time comes.
Like you rightly observed, Ibeju is becoming
the business hub of Lagos...
(cuts in) From the foundation of Lagos, you’ll
agree with me that successive governments
have been consistent with the roadmap that
they all pursue. The beauty of all of that is
that it boosts investor confidence. We have
all the hope that the implementation of
their various programmes will be religiously
followed through for a better Lagos. What
I’ve seen is that in terms of transportation,
ferries need to be introduced and the construction
of the fourth mainland bridge will
go a long way in easing the transportation
challenge that may arise in the area.
Projections:
Our focus is to see the possibility of keying
into the free trade zone, provided the
government will give adequate support to
investors. We equally look forward to operating
a factory where we can recycle used
tyres to provide allied products for export. It
is a capital intensive project and will be pretty
difficult for an individual company to embark
on; so government support is needed
in this respect to free our environment with
used tyres that are fast becoming a menace
41
Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos
State at the Third Quarter Town
Hall Meeting, the 8th in the series,
held at the Badore Ferry Terminal,
Lagos says that reconstruction work on Oshodi-International
Airport Road and equally
disclosed that plans are already underway
to commence the construction of 181 local
government roads by September 2017.
On the Oshodi-International Airport Road,
Governor Ambode said the construction,
which has already been awarded, would
see the transformation of the road from four
lanes to 10 lanes from Oshodi to the International
Airport with interchange and flyover
that would drop commuters to the Local
Airport.
It would be recalled that in May 2017, Acting
President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo approved
that the road be handed over to
the Lagos State Government for total reconstruction.
Governor Ambode, who had
described the current state of the road as a
National disgrace, said that work would begin
in earnest come September.
On the delay in the commencement of
rehabilitation of 181 inner roads, Governor
Ambode said the development was due
to the fluctuation in dollar rate at the time
the bid was last opened, but that a new
IN THE NEXT COUPLE
OF WEEKS, WE WILL
REOPEN THE ADVERT
TO GET A NEW COST
AND ALL THINGS
BEEN EQUAL THE JOB
WOULD START ON
THE ROADS BY END OF
SEPTEMBER 2017
bid would be opened in the next couple of
weeks, while work would commence in September.
“In the next couple of weeks, we will reopen
the advert to get a new cost and all
things been equal the job would start on the
roads by end of September 2017,” he said.
Governor Ambode also assured residents
that the State Public Works would seize the
period of the break of the rainy season to fix
all potholes across the State in order to improve
drive time for motorists.
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